February 2, 2012
When I was first bombarded with questions about my status as an international student, it occurred to me that not everyone here was used to meeting people from different parts of the world. Their curiosity was inevitable, giving me my first dose of culture shock. Before coming to Hamilton, I attended an international school in the Philippines where I grew disenchanted with the norm of constantly meeting people from every continent except Antarctica. In the hope of not having to repeat myself, I have accumulated the most common questions that I’ve been asked on campus. I hope that they make sense.
The Accent Question. “If you’re from the Philippines, why don’t you have an accent?” The more I read over this question, the more it begins to sound like something Karen Smith would say in Mean Girls, at which point I make some wisecrack about being one of those kids who grew up copying everything they’d seen on TV. Because of that, I learned how to speak with an American accent early on. Anyone on campus who’s spent enough time with me, though, can testify that this is a misconception, especially during moments when my accent thickens and turns “really Filipino.” It’s not that I don’t have a Filipino accent; it’s just that I’m used to speaking without it.
The English Question. “So, how long have you been studying English?” Despite growing up twelve time zones away, I was totally a 90s Nickelodeon kid. I pretended that my house was on Legends of the Hidden Temple, and my siblings and I would run around with our towels à la Global Guts. I watched All That, Kenan and Kel and Nicktoons like everyone else did. Although I studied English language and grammar in elementary school, English has always been my first language. Well, either that or the English-Tagalog hybrid language that tends to confuse everyone I meet.
The Other Questions. “What’s Manila like? Do you eat with chopsticks? Isn’t it really hot where you’re from? Why are you wearing shorts in the winter? They speak Spanish in the Philippines, right? How did you hear about Hamilton? Have you been to the U.S. before? Where do you go during breaks? Do you have family here? Have you ever met Manny Pacquiao? What exactly is a Jolibee?” “Awesome. No. Ridiculously. Because I don’t have enough winter clothes. No. My guidance counselor dated someone who graduated from here. Yes, twice. All over the place. Yes. Yes, I met him two years ago, and it was legen(wait for it)dary. And Jolibee is the greatest fast food chain in the world.”
And finally: “What do you mean you haven’t been to a J.Crew?” I don’t know, man. It just hasn’t happened yet.
I soon came to realize, however, that curiosity resided not only with Hamilton’s international students but also with the rest of the student body. One thing I learned early last semester was that there actually are cultural differences across different parts of the U.S., an idea I dismissed during my last seven years of disenchantment. Now, just as curious as my Hamilton friends are about my being an international student, I am not-so-secretly just as curious about everyone else:
My Questions.” Where is Vermont? Why is the SuperBowl a big deal? How do you say “Chipotle?” Why are there so many award shows for the same set of movies? Why are the beaches so rocky? Where can I find the best bagels in New York City? And why are you so bundled up? I thought you were used to this weather!”
And, with that, the claim that Hamilton College isn’t diverse just went up in smoke.